Worship the Lord with gladness! Come into God’s presence with singing.

For the Lord is good; God’s steadfast love endures forever.

God’s faithfulness continues through all generations.

*Hymn #649 “Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound”

Call to Confession

Prayer of Confession

Leader: Let us confess our sins together.

People: We confess the hostility that turns nation against nation and neighbor against neighbor.

Leader: Almighty God, forgive us; Lord Jesus Christ, forgive us.

People: We confess our hunger for things that do not belong to us.

Leader: Holy Spirit, forgive us;

People: We confess the greed that exploits human labor and plunders the earth.

Leader: Forgive your flock this day; and help us walk your Way; and make us righteous; this, O God we pray.

People: We confess our slavery to habits and compulsions that degrade the image of God within us.

Leader: Almighty God, forgive us; Lord Jesus Christ, forgive us.

People: We confess our indifference to all who have no place to call home.

Leader: Holy Spirit, forgive us.

People: We confess the arrogance of presuming we are always right, and our tendency to trust ourselves rather than God.

Leader: Forgive your flock this day; and help us walk your Way; and make us righteous; this, O God we pray.

Time for silent reflection

Response “Change My Heart, O God” Hymn #695

Change my heart, O God; make it ever true.

Change my heart, O God; may I be like you.

You are the Potter; I am the clay.

Mold me and make me; this is what I pray.

Assurance of Forgiveness

Friends, believe the good news.

In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.

Passing of the Peace

As God through Jesus has recognized and forgiven each of us, let us now ourselves recognize and forgive each other by sharing God’s peace with one another. The Peace of Christ is with you!

And also with you.

*Gloria Patri #581

Time with the Children

Congregation: God go with you.

Children: God be with you here.

Special Music “How Great Thou Art” Hymn #625

We Listen for the Word of God

Presentation of the Bible to Senior Lizzie Diffenbaugh

Prayer for Illumination

First Lesson Psalm 67OT p. 529

Second Lesson I Corinthians 14:26

“When you come together, each one has a song, has a

lesson, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an

interpretation. Let all these things be done for

the strengthening of the church. – I Corinthians 14:26 (NET)

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Sermon This Little Light of Mine: “Giving Blood”

John R. Hilley

Time of Reflection

We Respond to God’s Love

Prayers of the People –Lord’s Prayer

Offering

Offertory “Simple Gifts”

*Doxology #606

Holy Communion

Invitation to the Lord’s Table

Prayer of Great Thanksgiving

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

Sanctus

Sharing of the Bread and Cup

Music During Communion

“Power in the Blood” Jones

Prayer After Communion (concluding with the Lord’s Prayer)

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.

About Today’s Service: Jazz and Jesus: A Jazz Communion Service. Jazz is a musical tradition with strong roots in the church. Sometimes Presbyterians - “the frozen chosen” as we can be called - can get a little nervous about a little too much creative energy and improvisation, but who doesn’t like music that moves us! Today we have assembled a jazz quartet in one of its classical forms of a saxophone, piano, bass, and drums. As you enjoy the music, think about how the jazz quartet holds great promise as a constructive model for community. The Apostle Paul referred to the church as a body with each part having a role (I Corinthians 12). Notice as our musicians play, each gifted musician has a role. The bass player provides a swinging foundation, stating the harmony and establishing the pulse. The drummer keeps the fire stoked, reinforcing the rhythm and provoking the others to a continuing dialogue. A piano player can play the melody, as others can; but in a quartet like this, the pianist enriches the harmony with well-punctuated chords. The saxophonist states the melody, before members of the whole group begin to spin creative variations on the tune. We hope that each of you not only enjoy today’s service, but feel a greater connection to community and to God. Some of the liturgy in our worship service is taken from Jazz Belongs in Church, a Study Guide that features the work of The Rev. Bill Carter, a pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and jazz pianist in Clarks Summit, PA.

This morning we celebrate the Sacrament of Communion. The invitation to the Lord’s Supper is extended to all persons of faith present, remembering that being invited to the Table is not extended to us because of merit, but a grace extended to all. There may be those in attendance today who have not been baptized, but who feel moved to receive the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper and Baptism are inseparable. If you feel called by the Holy Spirit to meet Christ in Communion, we believe that you are also being called to Baptism. We will not turn anyone away from the Lord’s Table, but we do invite you to speak to the pastor or a member of the session about Baptism as soon as possible.

Today’s Communion is served by intinction. The congregation will come forward to receive the bread, which they will then dip into the chalice of grape juice. The ushers will direct the congregation through the two Communion lines.Gluten-free wafers are available.

For those of you with young children, please check out the shelf of children's Bibles located on the shelves in the Sanctuary. There are several different age-appropriate versions available for their use during the service. Please re-shelve them before you leave the building.

Children’s Worship: children’s worship helps children ages 3 through 2nd grade explore Bible units through hands-on, age appropriate, experiential activities that are designed to engage them while also instilling faith formation. We meet upstairs every Sunday following the Time with Children. Today’s story is “Trust God” - Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 (Help children trust that faith in God's grace manifests itself in the decisions and actions of their lives.) Next week’s story is “Wait For It!” - Acts 1:6-14 (Help children hear Jesus' last words to the disciples and plan ways they can carry the good news of God's love to the ends of the earth.)

Welcome to East Brentwood

To Our Members: East Brentwood gladly welcomes first-time and returning visitors. By introducing yourself and sharing a warm greeting, you express the hospitality of our congregation. Please share a smile and welcoming word to those around you.

To Our Guests: We offer education and fellowship opportunities in the mornings and evenings for children, youth and adults. Please see the Calendar of Events for dates and times. Interested in joining East Brentwood? Speak to John Hilley or Dave Ford.

East Brentwood Presbyterian Church is a community church made up of a loving, welcoming family of believers in honest conversation with God. We seek to emulate the ministry of Jesus through compassionate service, with stimulating and relevant exploration of God’s Word, and by sharing that Word and God’s many blessings with our neighbors in Middle Tennessee and around the world.

Announcements

SAVE THE DATE! Mark your calendars for our Springa-palooza festival on Sunday, May 22. We'll have worship at 10 a.m. and the picnic and festival at 11 a.m. There will be yummy food and lots of fun and games for the young and young at heart. Stay tuned for more details to come!

Presbyterian Women will meet for their last study before summer break on Friday, May 6th. It will begin at 9:30 a.m. with a potluck luncheon following. Feel free to just come for lunch around 11:15.

Flowers & Fellowship Food Sign-up: Please consider signing up for flowers, fellowship food, or both in the coming months. Please sign up from our website or E-newsletter. If you have any questions, please contact Doug in the church office at ebpcoffice@comcast.net.

EBPC

East Brentwood Presbyterian Church is a community church made up of a loving, welcoming family of believers in honest conversation with God. We seek to emulate the ministry of Jesus through compassionate service, with stimulating and relevant exploration of God’s Word, and by sharing that Word and God’s many blessings with our neighbors in Middle Tennessee and around the world.